Chapter Twenty Eight
Wendy had been waiting at Hell's Pass for nearly an hour waiting to go into visit Stan. The ward clerk had informed her that Stan wasn't ready for more visitors as his family was already there with him. Wendy wondered if Kyle was there too. Every time Wendy tried to get the ward clerk's attention she simply shifted her eyes and pretended to be busy.
Wendy sighed, her back felt stiff after sitting on the old wooden chair for so long. She had gone through all the trashy magazines on the table in front of her and was growing steadily impatient. She figured that Stan must be okay otherwise he wouldn't have had visitors but it would have been nice to have this officially confirmed by the medical personnel.
She kept checking her phone incessantly. Hoping for a reply from Cartman somehow, though she wasn't sure how she would get one if someone else had already picked up his phone, but all the same she kept checking. She had surprisingly received a message from Bebe wishing her well and hoping that she was okay. Wendy had sent one back asking the same thing glad that they were talking again.
She turned her eyes to the clock and watched the second hand tick devastatingly slowly around the clock face. If she was kept here much longer she was going to go insane. But it was worth it, she reminded herself, she had to see how Stan was for herself. The uneasy feeling in her stomach wasn't' going to go away until she found out what was going on.
Suddenly she heard familiar voices coming from down the hallway. She peered around the corridor and saw that Mr and Mrs Marsh with their daughter Shelley were walking towards her. Randy had his arm around Shelley and was comforting her. Shelley looked simply bored.
All three of them looked up when they noticed her.
"Wendy" Sharon said reaching out to hug her. "Oh it's good to see you, it seems like a long time".
"It's good to see you too Sharon" Wendy tried to smile as Sharon wiped her eyes. "Even if it's under these circumstances".
"Oh Stan will be all right, he always is", Sharon said smiling. Randy clapped Wendy over the shoulder.
"Of course he'll be fine" he said. "Especially when he sees you, I always said that you were the best thing that ever happened to him".
Wendy blushed. "Um thank you Randy".
There was awkward silence for a moment. Wendy had always gotten along well with the Marsh family. She was often there often enough and long enough to be almost considered a second daughter. But of course she hadn't been going there recently and although she doubted that Stan had told his parents that they'd broken up she realized that they must figure that something was up.
"Well" Sharon said with a quick look to her watch. "You better go in there now sweetie, the nurses here are a bit strict about visiting hours. He's just in the end room on the left".
"Thank you", Wendy said. "It was good to see you again".
She smiled at them and then quickly hurried off to the end of the corridor without informing the ward clerk. She was worried if she did then she would be stopped. So instead she just made her way to the end. Trying not to look into the neighbouring rooms out of sheer curiosity.
Finally getting to the room Sharon had mentioned, Wendy knocked on the door and peered around to see that Stan was propped up in bed. His face still pale. Beside him was an unplugged ventilator. She didn't wait for him to acknowledge her instead she simply just walked in.
Stan looked up drowsily at the sudden movement in his room but as soon as he realized he had a visitor an unmistakable smile grew on his face even if it was a weak one.
"Hey" he said sitting up in his bed.
"How are you feeling?" Wendy asked shutting the door behind her and walking over to his bedside.
"I'm okay", Stan said. "They want to keep me here overnight though".
"I'm sorry" Wendy said sitting herself down on a more comfortable looking chair beside his bed. He looked at her softly his happiness barely concealed in his bright blue eyes.
"What have you got to be sorry for? You didn't blow up the classroom", Stan said smiling and Wendy looked away.
"Uh yeah" she said blushing not able to say anything else.
"I'm glad you're here," Stan said reaching out to hold her hand. His cold touch shocked Wendy for a moment but she let it stay there. She even squeezed back. "I didn't expect you to come".
"Why not?" Wendy asked. "I still care about you Stan, I still care about you very much, and I don't want to loose you".
"I don't want to loose you either" Stan said looking serious before smiling. "God it sounds like we're in a corny hospital movie or something".
"I know!" Wendy laughed glad for the break in mood she gave Stan's hand a squeeze. "It's like we should be talking about you never going to war again or something".
Stan snorted. "In really bad Southern accents".
The pair laughed for a moment before silence spread across the room again.
Stan cleared his throat nervously. An uncomfortable express upon his face. Wendy bit her lip she didn't know what to say all of a sudden either.
"I mean it though" He said looking up at her again. "I don't want to loose you".
"And neither do I" Wendy admitted. "Just I don't want to loose you as a friend, we'll always be friends right?"
Stan sighed and let go of her hand.
"It's Cartman isn't it?" he asked bluntly and it was Wendy's turn to sigh. She was tempted to get out of her chair and leave. "Honestly what do you see in him? He's an ignorant, manipulative, racist misogynist! I don't get it!"
"It's not just Cartman!" Wendy said furiously getting out of her chair and waving her arms around. "It's that blonde bimbo you cheated on me with not to mention your overly devoted best friend!"
"Wendy" Stan said his voice suddenly soft again. "I don't want you to leave".
Wendy's eyes flashed with anger. "Really? Well it certainly seems that way at the moment!"
"But I don't" Stan said reached out for her. "I do really care about you and I want you to be happy".
Wendy looked over at his face and could see that he was close to tears. She felt her anger suddenly dissolved as she turned back to sit with him.
"I guess I was just kinda hoping that we could be happy together" he said.
"Stan we can be happy together" Wendy said. "But only as friends".
"But-but" Stan's started to protest but realized quickly that it wasn't going to strengthen his case. He took a deep breath. "I really fucked up didn't I?"
"It's not that" Wendy said getting up to sit beside him on his bed now. "We've been together practically since we were eight years old, we need to have experiences on our own".
Stan nodded. "But we can still be friends?"
Wendy nodded. "We can be good friends, maybe even best".
"I don't know, I can't paint nails as good as Bebe" Stan joked and Wendy smiled glad that he was taking it well.
"All it takes as practice" Wendy smiled giving his hand another squeeze.
"Wendy" Stan sighed. "I really do love you, you know".
"I know", Wendy nodded. "I loved you too".
"I didn't mean to hurt you" Stan insisted.
"I'll be right", Wendy said getting off the bed. "I hope you get better soon, don't miss too much school okay?"
Stan snorted. "I love how that your main concern".
"I'm sorry", Wendy said. "Take care, we'll talk when you're back at school okay".
As Wendy said those words she moved close to Stan and kissed his forehead lightly. A tear escaping from her eyes. "We'll figure things out" she promised. "One day".
And she quickly left before Stan could say anything more and before she could let anymore tears fall. Despite everything she was beginning to feel good, a kind of acceptance running through her. She was glad that Stan was okay and that he was speaking to her again. Why did it always take near death moments for people to speak to her?
Oh well. They came around often enough. She closed Stan's door behind her and almost run smack into another visitor.
Pain seared through her shoulder and Wendy almost cried out until she realized that she had just run into Liane Cartman. She looked a little more disheveled than normal.
Ms. Cartman pretty much had a reputation as the town slut. Several boys in Wendy's class had even lost their virginity to her and there was a good reason why. Even as a heterosexual female Wendy could see that she was very attractive, a curvy, trim figure, shinny dark hair and glittering eyes. But now those eyes were blood shot and her hair was ruffled. She looked pale and tired.
"Oh I'm sorry dear", she said trying to smile at Wendy. Wendy wondered if she recognized her when a thought struck her. What if she was here visiting Cartman?
No, Wendy tried to calm herself down. That couldn't be possible. Ms. Cartman could have been visiting for any number of reasons. She most likely had some elderly relatives or something. But the look in her eyes suggested something different, as if she were in shock.
"You're the 12th grade president aren't you?" she asked suddenly. "Wendy, yes?"
"Well I was", Wendy said blushing, surprised at the question.
"Oh Wendy!" Ms. Cartman grabbed onto her sleeves and began to sob. Wendy tried to step back but Liane had too tight of grasp. "My boy does nothing but talk about you, could you go see him?"
"I'm sorry", Wendy said not sure how to handle the comment. "Go see him?"
"Ohhh it's all my fault!" Ms. Cartman suddenly sobbed. "I'm such a bad Mother, I should have protected him!"
Wendy's eyes narrowed. "Protected him?"
"Yes, yes" Ms. Cartman nodded. "Now I don't' know if he'll wake up or not".
"Wake up?" Wendy felt fear grip her stomach. She thought she was going to vomit. "Ms. Cartman your son's not here?"
Oh please let it not be true, please please let it not be true.
Mrs. Cartman nodded. "Just down the other corridor dear, here, I'll take you".
